Moon Sang Hoon Archives - The Fangirl Verdict

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show takes the idea of what it would be like to have a protagonist who’s on the autism spectrum, and yet, who’s got savant-like brilliance in the law, and gives it all a wholesome, warm, almost treacly sort of shine.

Park Eun Bin is, hands-down, THE star of the show, bringing her character Young Woo to life, down to the smallest quirks and ticks. I found it worth watching this show, if only to see her excellent performance. 🤩

Show does feel more uneven in its second half than its first, and therefore the watch experience can feel a bit patchy at times.

But, Show still works out to be a pretty easy, feel-good, heartwarming sort of watch, given the right lens.

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THE SHORT VERDICT:

A gritty, penetrating exploration of the systemic issues plaguing the South Korean military, and a compelling, thought-provoking watch in one, Show boasts tight writing, with a laser-sharp focus on the issues at hand.

It never feels like Show loses its footing or its priorities, even once. The spots of levity are there to provide relief, but they don’t detract from the main narrative. There is hazing, bullying and other violence, and that can be hard to watch, but it never feels gratuitous, in the way it’s showcased.

The performances from our cast are all-around excellent, with our key characters rendering nuanced, raw, dig-deep deliveries that I found pitch perfect and quite haunting even, in some cases.

In particular, I think Jung Hae In is wonderfully, poignantly engaging, as our protagonist, from whose point of view we understand our story.

A small little package that packs a big punch – and you don’t even need a special interest in the military, to be engaged with this one.

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